Alcohol and drug addiction can be classified as a chronic relapsing disorder since a higher percentage of the patients fall off the wagon or return to old habits.
Although most people who relapse implicate the cravings they feel for the drug as the reason for the relapse there are other factors involved which play a significant role in the relapse process. One of the roles in the relapse process which has recently been studied is the gender of the addicted person.
Studies show that women who enter and complete a treatment program will relapse less frequently than men, partly because women are more likely to engage in group counseling. Women in general tend to share their feelings more openly and be more helpful to other group members.
A recent study of more than 1,700 addicted men and women found that alcoholics and drug addicts who entered treatment centers and continued to attend Alcoholics, Narcotics, or Cocaine Anonymous meetings after discharging from treatment were less likely to relapse in the first year.
Relapse doesn't occur overnight in most instances but instead begins as a slow, gradual process which will eventually lead the patient back to their drug of choice. If you think you're headed for a relapse there are a few things that you can look for which will be good indicators of a possible relapse.
You may be headed for a relapse if:
You begin to change the daily schedule and routine which you established while you were in treatment. You stop going to AA or NA meetings every day or begin to make excuses to miss meetings. You begin avoiding sober friends.
Another indicator is if you stop taking phone calls from friends and family and refuse to socialize with people who want to help you in your effort to stay sober. You begin to spend more time alone at home thinking about the past or about friends who are still using.
A sign might also be that you get angry when people ask you to go to AA or NA meetings. Have you stopped participating in your recovery program because you feel it isn't as important anymore to stay focused on sobriety? You think you have better things to do than to attend meetings.
Are you too confident and tell yourself that you have a few months of sobriety under your belt and you feel that you have the addiction problem under control. Do you say to yourself that you can drink just one beer and stop when you want to since now you know more about the addiction process.
Relapse prevention literature is perhaps the most important drug recovery material which you can read. Know the warning signs of relapse so that you can take the necessary steps to avoid relapsing and continue to make healthy decisions. Take action by attending meetings and talk to group members on a daily basis.
Studies show that people who attend AA or NA meetings on a regular schedule tend to stay sober for longer periods of time. However, there are also ways to remain clean that don't involve these methods as Amy Lee Coy discusses in our interview.
No comments:
Post a Comment